Coming in from the bright midday sun, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Surrounded by empty space, the cavernous interior of the Notre Dame de Rouen cathedral was lit only by natural light that filtered through the stained glass windows behind the altar, which was hundreds of feet from … Continue reading The Light
Category: Travel
Market Day Market Day is the busiest day of the week in the small village of Mwiki, Tanzania. Farmers bring their produce, and merchants bring their wares. Bananas are the most popular food item traded at the market. Just about anything you think of can be found at this open air market. Grains, fruit and … Continue reading Going Bananas
Omaha Beach To celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the Les Braves Memorial was placed on the shores of Omaha Beach in 2004, near the village of St. Laurent-sur-Mer. It was meant to be a temporary exhibit, but popularity and public demand has kept it in place. Without even knowing the story/meaning of the sculpture, … Continue reading Les Braves Memorial
Paris - Left Bank In Paris, the best spot for viewing the famous Notre Dame Cathedral is from the Seine River's Left Bank. The tree lined sidewalk along the Left Bank is crowded with artists of all kinds; like the one in this picture or others selling paintings of Notre Dame, glass work, pottery, postcards … Continue reading Sidewalk Artist
County Kerry Ireland: always lush and green. Johnny Cash called it "40 Shades of Green". Aye! The Emerald Isle. With all the rain that falls it's no wonder everything is green. Words like "clouds", "mist", "wind" and "rain" are common in daily weather forecasts. Do not expect to see the sun rise or set in … Continue reading Irish Mist
40 acres of sunflowers On US 136 five miles west of Fairbury, Nebraska, I found a sea of sunflowers in full bloom. Three feet tall, standing shoulder to shoulder, soaking up the bright sun with hardly a cloud in the sky. Pollinators were gorging themselves. It was a great day to be a sunflower! Thought … Continue reading Sunflowers
Monet's Grave Claude Monet is buried in the Giverny church graveyard along with all of his children. As expected, the otherwise simple plot is full of flowers. Thought for the Day: My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in the corner of nature.Claude Monet
Newfound Gap is a route through the Appalachian Mountains, located on US Highway 441 on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The Appalachian Trail passes through this same point. At an elevation of 5,048 feet, it is the lowest mountain pass through the Appalachians. This photo was taken at 3 PM. Thought for the Day: The man … Continue reading Newfound Gap
Cape Cod Drive-In Labor Day. Last big weekend for this classic 50's drive-in on Cape Cod before entering the "off season". I found this piece of Americana on US 28 in the vicinity of West Harwich. Driving by at dusk, I thought I was in a time machine. Gull wing shape, garish florescent bulbs following … Continue reading 50’s Drive-In
Only two more days until the Nebraska Cornhuskers open their 2019 football season against Southern Alabama. The entire Husker nation, which is world-wide, is excited for this season to get underway, hoping to make last year's 4-8 record a distant memory. Husker t-shirts are even being sold by street vendors in Jerusalem. Is this escapism … Continue reading Husker Fan
Village near Juno Beach Luc-sur-Mer is one of many beautiful sites in France's Normandy region. One could spend weeks along the Normandy coast visiting one small village after another. Each one is picturesque and filled with WW II memorials and moving stories of D-Day. Located near Juno Beach, where the British forces landed, Luc-sur-Mer is … Continue reading Luc-sur-Mer
Notre Dame, 2019 There are 87 cathedrals in France, all of them named Notre Dame meaning "First Lady" as in the Virgin Mary. All but one of those cathedrals include "du ______" in their name describing its location; e.g. Notre Dame du Rouen is the cathedral in Rouen, France. The Notre Dame in Paris is … Continue reading Notre Dame
Les Invalides - Paris The beautiful gold dome of Les Invalides can be seen from all parts of Paris. It was established in 1670 by Louis XIV as a hospital and home for aging and sick soldiers. The complex includes a large church, 15 courtyards and many buildings. The National Military Museum is located here, … Continue reading Les Invalides
Chateau Gaillard - 1196 King Richard I of England, aka Richard the Lionheart, and feudal Duke of Normandy, built this fortress in 1196. Sitting on a limestone cliff overlooking the Seine, it overlooks the small town of Les Andelys. A large sum of money was spent by King Richard to complete the chateau's construction in … Continue reading Chateau Gaillard
Monet's House and Garden Two surprises awaited me when I visited Claude Monet's house and gardens in Giverny, France. One, his house was much bigger than I thought it would be -- a mansion for the times he lived, and two, his gardens were less formal than imagined. Mid summer was the perfect time to … Continue reading Monet’s House & Garden
Castle Ruins Walking around the charming village of Vernon, France I found the remains of a medieval castle wall and tower. Surrounded by gardens now, it was a pretty sight. The old town center is near the Seine River, where it's been since William the Conqueror marched through. It was an easy walk from the … Continue reading Vernon, France
Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye Located in the Paris suburb of St. Germain, this little fixer-upper is formally called the Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Louis VI built the first castle on this site in 1124. A chapel (not shown here) was added in 1238. Expanded several times over the centuries, Louis XIV was born here in 1638, but … Continue reading St. Germain
Arc de Triomphe From the hotel, I walked 4-5 blocks to catch the sunrise over the Arc de Triomphe. With the tree-lined streets, I couldn't see the Arc during any part of the walk until it was right on top of me. Boom! Boy, that thing is huge. Sunday morning, not much traffic, but loads … Continue reading Paris Sunrise
Wild Turkey Along a trail in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains NP, I caught up to a group of 10-12 people moving off the trail in both directions to make room for this wild turkey rooster. He was all fanned out, strutting with purpose, looking for a fight. No one was approaching it, let alone … Continue reading Tough Turkey
John Oliver's Cabin - 1820's This idyllic setting is John Oliver's cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Following the one-way eleven-mile loop around Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains NP, one of the first points of interest is John Oliver's cabin. The log cabin was built without nails or wooden pegs. Notched corners in … Continue reading John Oliver’s Cabin
